


The Creature in the Dark

by pidgethegreatgunderson



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Horror, Hurt Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, Monsters, Sleepovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 08:35:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16281203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pidgethegreatgunderson/pseuds/pidgethegreatgunderson
Summary: There is a creature in the Castle. A creature who's only intention is to feed off the paladins until it kills them.





	The Creature in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry no one dies. This is kinda scary though.

Lance was training when the power went out. All the robots dropped and the lights stopped working. The only source of light was the flickering of the sole bulb that was still glowing faintly. It illuminated the deck in bursts, not staying on for more than a second at a time. Lance sighed. This had happened before. He had talked to Coran about it but he dismissed it as a crystal being out of alignment. However when they checked the crystals all of them were in a closed circuit position. After that discovery Lance deduced it must be something supernatural. Of course, he did this jokingly with no evidence. He didn’t really think something was on the ship, but it was fun to theorise. 

He turned to leave and find Coran but was stopped when he felt a breeze flash past his face. He froze in place. The castle aircon was off and he was in the middle of a vast room with no vents close to him. He turned around slowly. There, standing across the other side of the room was a shadowy figure that most definitely was not there before. It was humanoid, with no face and long black fingers. 

He raised his bayard in its direction.   
“Whatever you are. Don’t. Move”.  
It stayed there motionless as ever. The light flicked off. Lance was surrounded by darkness, he couldn’t even see his hands. It flicked on again. The shadow was gone. Immediately, Lance swung around aiming his gun in every corner of the training room. Nothing was there. He sighed in relief but realised there was one place he hadn’t looked. Up. He slowly looked towards the ceiling assessing it metre by metre. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. All was good. He stared at the roof directly above him, devoid of any darkness.

The light flickered and went out again. Darkness. It came back on but there was still dark above him. The figure was back and it was hovering centimetres above his face. Lance screamed when a hole opened in the creature’s previously featureless face and descended down upon him. He rolled out from under it and sprinted to the door and slammed his hand on the release button. But it wouldn’t open. Glancing behind him, the was creature scuttling towards him, contorting its body in a truly grotesque way. He carried on hitting the button until the door opened. He threw himself through it and shot the door panel making sure it couldn’t be opened again. He then gapped it down the hallway and around the corner straight into Pidge.   
They both went tumbling to the ground, but Lance jumped up and pulled Pidge into the nearest closet, closing the door.   
“Lance, what’s wrong? I heard you screaming like a two year old.”   
He grabbed her shoulders.  
“Pidge, there is something else living in the castle.”  
Pidge frowned, confused.  
“But we’re the only ones here and nothing has shown up on the scanners.”  
“Maybe it didn’t show up on the scanners. I swear it’s here, it just attacked me!”  
Pidge was still skeptical.   
“Where were you when you were attacked?”  
“The training room.”   
“Alright, let’s go up to the viewing chamber and have a look”. 

They walked through the door to the observation chamber only to see a blank room.   
“See, there’s nothing here” Pidge huffed placing a hand on the console.   
“Just wait and be quiet! Look over by the door” Lance whispered back.  
She looked, but nothing was there. The light turned off and lit up again. A black figure was standing where nothing had been previously. Pidge gasped.   
“Holy quiznaking ruggle” she muttered, her eyes wide. Unfortunately in her panic, she accidently turned the console on. The thing noticed and spun its head around like an owl. Pidge felt her blood run cold as it’s faceless gaze seemed to lock onto her. Lance tugged on her arm.  
“It’s spotted us, we need to run!”   
“Yeah, let’s go!”   
They ran out the door but just before it closed the creature appeared in front of the console. It stared at them as they sprinted off before disappearing again. 

The two terrified paladins rushed to the control room. They burst in, running towards the Alteans and Shiro.   
“Guys there’s something in the castle!” Pidge yelled.  
Allura turned from her place by the holo screens.   
“What are you talking about?”  
“Access the security footage from five doboshes ago in the training room observation deck” Lance said.  
She did so. The five of them watched the thing appear and disappear after Pidge and Lance had left. Pidge walked over to Lance and pulled him into a hug. Surprised, he returned it. He needed it just as much as she did, that experience had scarred them both.

The footage finished. Allura and Coran looked horrified. Allura pointed at Shiro.  
“Shiro, get Hunk and Keith up here NOW! But don’t tell them why, we don’t want them getting scared and freaking out!”   
He called them on the intercom.  
“Keith and Hunk, come to the control room immediately. This is not a drill.” 

A few moments later, they were all on the control deck and Allura pulled up an image of the creature that attacked Lance.  
“This creature is generally known as a Feeder. They inhabit large houses and sneak up on you when you sleep, feasting on your quintessence. Their preferred method of feeding is to open their mouth and suck at your quintessential aura, but they can also do this through any part of their bodies.”  
She paused. Lance spoke up.   
“Sooo, like dementors from Harry Potter?”  
Allura sighed. “I don’t know what a ‘dementor’ is, Lance.”   
She thought for a moment and seemed to have an epiphany. “Feeders only appear when they’re about to kill you. They normally feed on you for phoebs before taking your life.”  
She looked up. “Coran, see if you can find out how long it’s been here.”   
“Right away Princess.”   
Hunk raised this hand. “Why is this relevant? I mean there’s not one in the castle is there?”  
“It is relevant because Lance was just attacked by a Feeder and later saw it again with Pidge. To answer your second question, yes, there is a Feeder living in the castle” Allura replied.

Hunk moved closer to the group looking around nervously.   
“There is only one known way to get rid of a Feeder, and that is to kill it.” Allura continued.  
“But, this has never been done successfully before. They can be killed the same ways as us, however they are incredibly hard to catch. You cannot let it touch you or it will start to suck the life out of you. Until we make a plan we will set up camp in here. Feeders will attack when people are alone or asleep, so no one is to leave this room without a partner and two people will be awake at all times. Wear your armour from now on incase of a battle. The lights will start flickering if it is near, so be on the lookout. Should the Feeder show up, wake everyone and we will have to fight it. I suggest you go to your rooms in pairs and gather what you will need for however long we are stuck here. Go.”

Lance ran to Keith.   
“I normally wouldn’t ask this, but I’m scared and you’re an amazing fighter, wanna be my partner?”  
Keith was slightly taken aback but agreed.   
Looking across the room, Lance could see Pidge had taken a similar force of action and was clinging to Hunk like a lifeline. He caught her eye and shared an unspoken observation. They were in for a long night.

A few minutes later they had assembled a nest of blankets in the centre of the control deck. No one wanted to sleep separately with the constant fear of the Feeder hanging over them. They all huddled down into the mess of duvets and pillows as close together as physically possible.   
“We’ll keep a light on dim so we know when it’s here. Shiro and I will be on first watch. Goodnight everyone” Allura said. Pidge snuggled into Hunk, who was lying behind her. She was still so scared after her encounter with the Feeder that she had thrown all dignity out the window. The dim lighting made the tense atmosphere almost seem comfortable and the human pillow behind her was so warm. She tried to stay awake, but soon drifted off into the abyss of slumber. 

“Pidge! Pidge wake up! You and I are on watch until morning.”   
Pidge slowly sat up yawning. It was too early for this, there were still two varga to go on the castle’s night cycle.   
“Yeah yeah, I know. Doesn’t mean I’m happy about being woken up though.”  
She stretched her arms out behind her back, working out the stiffness of sleeping in a weird position. She looked at Hunk unimpressed at how awake he seemed. How come he was blessed with the ability to actually wake up and she wasn’t? Sighing, she grabbed her deactivated bayard and waited for something to happen. 

Pidge yanked her head back up trying to stay awake. They were one and a half varga through their shift with a little more to go but she wondered if she could manage to stay awake for just another half a varga. She felt her head start to droop again and did nothing to stop it. She slowly closed her eyes but was quickly jolted up again when Hunk poked her side. She opened her mouth to speak in apprehension but he shushed her. She wondered what was wrong and looked around before realising the lights had started flickering. Hunk pointed to a corner. There, shadowed in the darkness, was the Feeder. It stood motionless in wait. Pidge moved to activate her bayard but Hunk stopped her. He must have thought that it would be better to let it be for now. She warily lowered her arm not taking her eyes off it. It tilted it’s head, almost curiously. Hunk moved to wake the others, staying as quiet as possible. Against her better judgement Pidge stood up. Confused at it’s lack of reaction, she took a step towards it.

The light carried on flickering until finally busting out. The room was bathed in darkness, the light from the planets and stars outside the windows gone as well. It was impossible to see anything other than black which made it difficult to keep an eye on the Feeder in the corner. The light came on and Pidge screamed. The Feeder had teleported and had its blackened hand on her throat, squeezing the breath out of her. She tried to pull away but it was slowly draining her. She felt herself growing weaker by the second unable to move. The Feeder was suddenly hit with a shot from behind and let go. Lance lowered his gun stunned that it had worked. Pidge collapsed to the floor gasping for breath. The Feeder shrieked an unholy gravelly scream and disappeared. 

The rest of the team ran to Pidge, anxious about their friend. She was propped up by Hunk who brushed her hair out of her face.   
“Holy quiznak, are you okay?” Keith asked. That was weird, he normally didn’t say anything in these situations, he must have really been rattled by the Feeder.   
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just weak.”   
He sighed in relief. Allura stood up.   
“We can’t lie in wait anymore, it’s too dangerous. We’re going to have to hunt it down.”   
Lance went pale. “W-what?” 

“We’ll split up and search the castle. I’ll turn on all the security cameras and monitor them from here with Coran. This way we’ll have an eye on everyone and hopefully be able to pinpoint the Feeder’s location. In order to do this efficiently you will all have to go alone” ordered Allura.   
Lance took a step forward at this. “That’s a horrible idea, we’ll be ambushed immediately. I’d rather be in pairs and have it take longer than have everybody at risk.”   
All the paladins were surprised at Lance’s outburst, Keith in particular. He didn’t know Lance cared for him and the others this much.  
“Yes unfortunately you will be at risk, but it's necessary” Allura said. “If you need backup, call and someone will respond. As for you Pidge, after that you’re not leaving my sight.” Allura looked at Pidge sternly, knowing that she’d try to sneak away and join them if she had the chance. She was too weak from the Feeder to do anything other than sit and regain her strength.   
“Everyone pick a sector and go!”

Pidge had settled herself in a corner looking for an opening to go and help. She didn’t want to leave her friends alone with that thing, even if she was scared herself. She watched the security feed from her spot keeping a close eye on each paladin.  
“Any sign of the Feeder yet?” Allura asked over the intercom. She received a chorus of negative replies. In a way she was glad that they hadn't come across anything yet but that meant it was still hiding out. Keith came on the comm line.  
“Guys, I think I’ve got something. I’ve been feeling this underlying chill in the hallway ever since I got to Sector 69L, I think it’s the Feeder.”   
Allura checked the feed from the camera in the main hall of sector 69L. There was Keith, walking in the centre of the hallway with his bayard ready. She checked the next camera in his path and blanched.   
“Keith, the Feeder is standing in the next hallway. Slowly walk back the way you came and wait for backup. Everyone, go to Keith’s location stat. I’ll meet you there!”  
She turned to Pidge.   
“You stay right here, and don’t leave. I don’t want you getting hurt again. Coran, look after her.”   
Her gaze softened when Pidge made a sad face.   
“Sorry Pidge. I just want to keep you safe until you can get back on your feet.”   
With that she ran out the door leaving Pidge alone with Coran. 

Pidge watched the fight on the monitors annoyed with her situation. She may be a bit weak at the moment, but she could still fight! She carried on watching as Lance and Keith landed a blow on the Feeder while Hunk, Shiro and Allura provided backup. She couldn’t help but smile at the irony of how Keith and Lance were fighting back to back. Normally they were at each other’s throats, but they worked surprisingly well together in the field.   
“Pidge, I need to pop out to the supply room down the hall for a minute, I need to get the glorfux. Will you be okay?”  
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”   
He left. Pidge sat in the control room completely alone. She shivered. She felt as if she was in a horror movie and that she was the doomed character. She glanced around the room for any abnormalities, but found nothing. She got into a more comfortable position and sighed. She wished was down there fighting with them.   
Then the lights went out. 

Hunk was running in to land a hit on the Feeder’s body when it suddenly disappeared.  
“Uhh, guys? Where did it go?”   
Shiro frowned. “It must have decided that it wasn’t worth it and forked off.”   
“But where would it have gone? Why did it leave?” Lance asked.   
“It wouldn’t have gone anywhere else unless it found a better food source, but there’s no one…” Allura thought for a moment then looked up, shocked. “Pidge and Coran!” 

She tried calling the control deck but got static. She then tried Coran’s personal comms device. Much to Allura’s relief, he answered.   
“Allura, what’s wrong?”  
“The Feeder has disappeared, is Pidge with you?”  
A pause. “No, I had to run out to grab the glorfux.”   
“Quiznak, she’s alone in there! We need to get to her.”  
They sprinted to the control room hoping that their friend was still alive. 

The lights flickered and went out. It was all so dark. Pidge couldn’t see her hands right in front of her face. She knew what this meant. The Feeder was here. She stayed as still as possible until the lights came back on. As soon as they did, she searched the corners for any sign of the Feeder. She spotted it. It was standing right in front of the door; the only way in or out. No one could help her. She had to fight it herself. 

Without hesitation she activated her bayard. She ran towards the Feeder ready to shoot it with the grapple. She aimed and fired. The green hook raced through the air towards it but the Feeder teleported behind her before it could make contact. It grabbed the back of her armour and hurled her across the room where she landed on her side. She got up and aimed another shot. The Feeder ran at her, dodging the shot and grabbing onto her collar. It lifted her up and pushed her against the wall with one hand. A hole opened in its face as it drew itself closer. Pidge struggled against it’s grip, groaning as it brought up its other hand around her throat. The draining feeling was back, but this time it hurt. She shrieked in pain aiming a stab at its face in a last ditch effort to get free. Surprisingly, it worked. The Feeder dropped her, holding both hands to its face. Pidge got up and ran to the door attempting to escape. She hit the open button but nothing happened. She was trapped. 

Pidge turned back to the Feeder, who was now holding out its arm in wait. A black scythe materialized in its hand. It ran towards her and lunged. She dodged to the side, the blade catching itself in the wall where her head had been. She brought her bayard around hitting the Feeder in the side. They carried on like this for a while, swings and dodges coming easily to both of them. Pidge came in with her electrified blade grazing its chest. It made a horrible screech and lashed out with the base of its scythe. The impact swung her legs out from under her and she toppled to the ground. She rolled onto her back about to get up but was stopped. The Feeder had the point of its scythe resting on her breastplate. She couldn’t move, the exertion of the battle having caught up with her. It raised its blade ready to strike. Pidge knew she couldn’t dodge it even if she tried. She had never thought about the real possibility of dying in this war, but it was right in front of her now. It was going to happen, nothing could stop it. She was so weak from the Feeder’s deadly kiss.. Thinking of her friends and family she closed her eyes in acceptance. The blade came down on her, its aim true. 

She braced for the inevitable pain but it never came. She opened her eyes. What should have pierced her heart was buried in the ground to her side. The Feeder swayed, a gaping hole in its head. It fell backwards on the floor. A bayard powered down after the shot. A voice rang out.  
“Not her! Ever!”   
With what little strength she had left, she turned her head to look at the door. Hunk was standing there his canon still aimed at where the Feeder had been standing just moments before. He deactivated it and ran to Pidge.

He propped her upright making sure she was unharmed. She smiled, still incredibly weak from the draining.  
“Thanks for saving me.”   
“No problem.”

The others rushed over to where she and Hunk sat.  
“Oh my god, we need to get you into a healing pod!”   
She groaned in protest. Every time she was stuffed in those pods she came out dizzy and disoriented. Not fun.   
“Guys, I just need a nap okay? I’ll be fine without going in a pod.”   
Lance stood his ground, adamant.   
“But you could’ve died! I want to make sure you won’t later!”   
Pidge just glared at him, expressing her dislike very accurately. He sighed in defeat.   
“Fine, but at least get a scan.”  
“Do I have to be awake for that?”   
She looked at Coran expectantly.  
“Nope, you can sleep through it.” he replied.   
“Okay, I’ll consent to that.”   
Hunk picked her up bridal style and carried her down to the med bay. She fell asleep halfway down.

The next morning the Feeder’s corpse was ejected into space. With it gone, everyone was very much more at ease. Pidge’s strength was somewhat back; she still needed a few naps but overall she was back to normal. Keith and Lance were laughing with each other which was a very rare sight. Shiro looked less stressed than usual, and Allura seemed happier. The mood in the castle was lifted with the demise of that creature. They were all in the common room talking about whatever came to their minds. Hunk was commenting on the overall mood.  
“It seems that the Feeder really put a damper on the morale in the castle don’t you think? Everyone was tense plus Keith and Lance were fighting more than usual. It’s a wonder we didn’t notice anything.”   
“Hey, we weren’t fighting that much were we?” Lance piped up.   
Everyone laughed. 

Allura smiled but it faded.  
“When you think about it, if we had been a tick later, we would have lost someone yesterday. It just hits me hard, that’s all.”  
The laughter stopped. They all knew how close they were to losing Pidge. They pretended to brush it off, but on the inside it was scary. Just the cold reality of the fact that someone could die and it was almost their youngest member. Keith cleared his throat.

“What do you think about having a sleepover?”   
Everyone stared, shocked that Keith of all people had made the suggestion.   
“What is a sleepover?” Allura asked.  
“It’s when a bunch of friends sleep in one room for a night and share stories and stuff.” Lance replied.  
She brightened. “So it’s like what we did two nights ago? Except without the looming threat of a monster?”  
“Uhh, yeah. Pretty much.”   
“I’m down for that. What about you?” Pidge said.  
Hunk smiled. “Sounds like a great idea. Let’s go grab a ton of blankets.” He held out his hand to Pidge.  
“My lady, will you accompany me?” Deciding to play along, Pidge took it.  
“Certainly, my prince. Let us depart.”   
They left, giggling at each other’s antics. 

Keith and Lance stood up.   
“We’ll go on a pillow hunt, see you soon.” Lance said. Shiro glanced at both of them blushing. Taking a peek between them, he noticed they were not so subtly holding hands. He smirked. It was about time those two got together. He noticed Pidge and Hunk becoming closer too. They were a good pair, the technological power couple of the castle if he had to give a name to them. He held back a proud laugh, his space kids were growing up! Hunk and Pidge came barreling into the room, Pidge on Hunks shoulders. They were both carrying at least six blankets each.   
“Hey Space Dad, catch!”   
Pidge hurled her pile of blankets at Shiro, laughing as they hit him on the head and completely covered him. He sighed. He was well aware of the name the younger paladins had given him. Although he had to admit it was quite fitting. He watched Pidge fall off Hunk’s shoulders only to be caught in his arms. Shiro smiled. His family was complete.


End file.
